O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar pontuais questões estéticas e formais na peça da dramaturga inglesa Sarah Kane: Blasted (1995), de modo a entender a forma e sua respectiva correspondência com o contexto sócio-histórico. Em linhas gerais, o estudo objetiva investigar os procedimentos formais utilizados por Kane e as relações entre tema e forma, partindo do pressuposto de Peter Szondi que compreende a forma como conteúdo precipitado. Nesse sentido, analisaremos de que maneira elementos temáticos, tais como a violência (psicológica, verbal, física), a guerra, o abuso sexual e tabus, tais como, cenas de intercurso hetero e homossexual, canibalismo, entre outros, são amplamente utilizados pela dramaturga e como se engendram estruturalmente no enredo da peça. Para tanto, procuramos fazer uma breve introdução histórico teatral ao contexto político, econômico e social da Inglaterra nos anos noventa, à peça, à dramaturga e à estética teatral do In-yer-face theatre. Em seguida, focamos na apresentação cena-a-cena da peça, dedicada à análise pormenorizada de Blasted e ao levantamento das temáticas relevantes expressas na peça. Finalmente, nos dedicamos às relações formais e escolhas estéticas presentes em Blasted, relacionadas aos eventos histórico-sociais a que a peça remete. / The present work aims to study specific formal-aesthetic issues in the 1995 play Blasted by British playwright Sarah Kane in order to understand the play´s form as related to its socio-historical context. In general terms, this study aims to investigate the formal procedures used by Kane and the plays relations between theme and form, according to Peter Szondi´s assumptions which comprehend that form could be conceived of as precipitated content. In this sense, we will analyze how themes such as psychological, verbal and physical violence, war, sexual abuse and taboo scenes of heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, for example, or cannibalism, among others, are widely used by the playwright and how they are structurally embedded in the plot of the play. The study starts with a brief historical introduction to the political, economic and social context of England in the nineties, followed by an introduction to the play and its theatrical context, to the playwright and to the aesthetic principles of In-yer-face theatre. Then, we focus on the detailed analysis of each scene of the play, stressing its relevant issues. Lastly, we proceed to analyze the formal relations and the aesthetic choices present in Blasted, as related to the social-historical events that the play refers to.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar pontuais questões estéticas e formais na peça da dramaturga inglesa Sarah Kane: Blasted (1995), de modo a entender a forma e sua respectiva correspondência com o contexto sócio-histórico. Em linhas gerais, o estudo objetiva investigar os procedimentos formais utilizados por Kane e as relações entre tema e forma, partindo do pressuposto de Peter Szondi que compreende a forma como conteúdo precipitado. Nesse sentido, analisaremos de que maneira elementos temáticos, tais como a violência (psicológica, verbal, física), a guerra, o abuso sexual e tabus, tais como, cenas de intercurso hetero e homossexual, canibalismo, entre outros, são amplamente utilizados pela dramaturga e como se engendram estruturalmente no enredo da peça. Para tanto, procuramos fazer uma breve introdução histórico teatral ao contexto político, econômico e social da Inglaterra nos anos noventa, à peça, à dramaturga e à estética teatral do In-yer-face theatre. Em seguida, focamos na apresentação cena-a-cena da peça, dedicada à análise pormenorizada de Blasted e ao levantamento das temáticas relevantes expressas na peça. Finalmente, nos dedicamos às relações formais e escolhas estéticas presentes em Blasted, relacionadas aos eventos histórico-sociais a que a peça remete. / The present work aims to study specific formal-aesthetic issues in the 1995 play Blasted by British playwright Sarah Kane in order to understand the play´s form as related to its socio-historical context. In general terms, this study aims to investigate the formal procedures used by Kane and the plays relations between theme and form, according to Peter Szondi´s assumptions which comprehend that form could be conceived of as precipitated content. In this sense, we will analyze how themes such as psychological, verbal and physical violence, war, sexual abuse and taboo scenes of heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, for example, or cannibalism, among others, are widely used by the playwright and how they are structurally embedded in the plot of the play. The study starts with a brief historical introduction to the political, economic and social context of England in the nineties, followed by an introduction to the play and its theatrical context, to the playwright and to the aesthetic principles of In-yer-face theatre. Then, we focus on the detailed analysis of each scene of the play, stressing its relevant issues. Lastly, we proceed to analyze the formal relations and the aesthetic choices present in Blasted, as related to the social-historical events that the play refers to.

The focus of this dissertation is the theatrical representation of both the individual and war in a time of disintegrating national states and the dramatisation of destruction versus survival as the driving forces on stage. In a study on the future of empire it has been observed that instead of progressing into a peaceful future, the 21st century has slipped back in time into the nightmare of perpetual and indeterminate state of warfare: ceasing to be the exceptional state, war has become 'the primary organising principle of society', thus echoing Giorgio Agamben's declaration that the state of exception has become the status quo. Seminal studies on contemporary warfare and society such as Mary Kaldor's New & Old Wars (2005) and Ulrich Beck's World at Risk (2008 [2007]) trace how the face of war has changed over the past fifteen years. The dramatic texts examined in this thesis reach from plays depicting inner-state conflict, civil war and the politics of fear, for example Caryl Churchill's Far Away (2000), Sarah Kane's Blasted (1995) and Zinnie Harris's war trilogy (2005-2008) over documentary and verbatim-based plays and their attempt to portray the trauma of war by recreating on stage the process of giving testimony and by endorsing public grieving (e.g. various Tricycle productions and Gregory Burke's Black Watch [2006]), to adaptations of Greek tragedies (like Martin Crimp's Cruel and Tender [2004]) and a Shakespearean play. The questions underlying this work are: how can war be represented on stage? and, how do the plays replicate the sociological structures leading to violence and war and explore their transformation of societies? Springing from the discussion about 'New Wars' in the age of globalisation, it will be demonstrated here how these 'New Wars' also bring forth new plays about war.

Cette étude s’intéresse à l’espace mental comme nouveau terrain d’exploration du drame britannique contemporain, et examine les manifestations d’un mouvement qui « met en pièces » les régions inexplorées des pensées inconscientes et les contrées impénétrables du traumatisme. Puisant dans les découvertes de la psychanalyse et des sciences cognitives, inspiré par le changement de paradigme de la mécanique quantique et ses interrogations sur le rôle et la nature de la conscience, ce théâtre non plus tant « in-yer-face » que « in-yer-head » s’éloigne de la sensibilité des années 1990. Les pièces de Crimp, Kane, Churchill, Cooper, Frayn, Stephens, Payne, Haddon, Ravenhill, Neilson et d’autres déconstruisent et reconstruisent le personnage comme la somme virtuelle de tous ses possibles. Le mode d’existence spéculatif, diffracté et pluriel du sujet renouvelle les définitions du réalisme psychologique et du réalisme théâtral. Ce travail étudie les modalités de cette « psychopoétique quantique » autour de concepts clés comme la probabilité ou l’incertitude, et montre comment des métaphores issues de la théorie quantique comme la dualité onde-particule ou les mondes multiples servent à illustrer l’indétermination de la psyché en évoquant les mécanismes de défense et autres symptômes qui constituent la réalité subjective d’esprits affectés par le traumatisme, la psychose, le stress ou la maladie neurologique. Nous montrons qu’en explorant la nature de la conscience, du soi et de la réalité ainsi que la condition des femmes, ces pièces posent des questions philosophiques sur le libre arbitre et la possibilité de choix dans un monde devenu plus incertain et imprévisible que jamais. / This study asserts that the human mind has become the new frontier in contemporary British drama, and interrogates and assesses manifestations of this movement which stages uncharted regions of thought and the dark territories of traumatic mindscapes. Drawing on theories from psychoanalysis and cognitive science, and inspired by the paradigm shifts of quantum mechanics and its interrogations on the role and nature of consciousness, this new theatre moves from “in-yer-face” to “in-yer-head” and away from the sensibility of the “nasty nineties.” Plays by Crimp, Kane, Churchill, Cooper, Frayn, Stephens, Payne, Haddon and others deconstruct and reconstruct the character as thevirtual sum of all her possibilities. In these mental spaces, the subject’s speculative, diffracted and plural mode of existence redefines psychological realism and stage realism. Examining the modalities of a quantum “psychopoetics” around key concepts such as probability and uncertainty, I show how metaphors borrowed from quantum theory based on the double slit-experiment, the wave-particle duality, the wavefunction collapse, the observer effect, quantum decoherence, quantum entanglement, and the many-worlds interpretation are used to emphasise the intrinsic indeterminacy of our minds. They evoke a number of psychological defense mechanisms and other symptoms that constitute the subjective reality of disturbed minds affected by trauma, psychosis, stress or neurological disease. By exploring the nature of mind, the self, and reality, and the condition of women, these plays address philosophical questions about free will and choice in a world that has become more uncertain and unpredictable than ever.

Cette thèse examine comment les pièces de Martin McDonagh, dans le texte même et sur scène, démontre les éléments destructeur, homogénéisant, et renforçant des stéréotypes de la mondialisation, ainsi que les éléments positifs comme l’échange culturel et la ‘glocalisation.’ Ceci est réalisé en analysant les représentations comique du terrorisme et terrorisation présent dans les pièces, ainsi qu’une analyse de trois traductions des pièces de McDonagh en français, et une étude sur la représentation du caractère Irlandais dans les pièces de McDonagh à l’étranger. / This thesis examines the means by which the plays of Martin McDonagh, both in text and performance, display the destructive, homogenizing, or stereotype-reinforcing element of globalization, as well as the positive elements such as globalized cultural exchange and (g)localization. It does so through an analysis of the humorous representations of terrorism and terrorization present in the plays, an in depth study of three French translations of the plays, and a study of the representation of Irishness in McDonagh’s plays abroad.

This essay explores the genre of In-Yer-Face theatre and its representation of women. In-Yer-Face theatre emerged in the 1990s in the UK, characterised by its confrontational style and provocative themes. While the genre is often associated with the portrayal of violence and aggression towards women, this essay explores how In-Yer-Face theatre may also offer a platform for women's stories and experiences. Through an analysis of The Censor, Blasted and the performances of Shopping and fucking and Look back in anger, the essay researches how In-Yer-Face theatre explores traditional gender roles and the ways in which women are often subjected to violence, exploitation, and objectification. The essay will use both a drama analysis and performance analysis of two plays and two performances from the genre to explore different views from the most prominent writers of the genre.Ultimately, this essay argues that In-Yer-Face theatre has an opportunity to offer a powerful and complex representation of women that demands critical engagement and interpretation but in many ways reproduces the societal norms.

Nesta dissertação, busca-se analisar os elementos dramatúrgicos constituintes da polêmica peça Shopping and Fucking (1996), do dramaturgo britânico Mark Ravenhill, relacionando suas características de forma e conteúdo e seus decorrentes imbricamentos. O ponto de partida dessa empreitada encontra-se não somente em obras teóricas importantes da crítica de literatura, teatro e cultura de autoria de Peter Szondi, Anatol Rosenfeld, Roberto Schwarz e Fredric Jameson, mas também nas de autores mais estreitamente vinculados às ciências econômicas e à crítica do sistema mundial como Ernst Mandel e Robert Kurz. Podemos, por meio dessa análise, concluir que Ravenhill é capaz de retratar por meio da configuração da peça aspectos simultaneamente relacionados tanto à subjetividade quanto à sociedade contemporâneas ambas em estado de crise permanente. Na primeira parte da dissertação, procura-se introduzir historicamente a peça, o teatro In-yer-face e o período Thatcher. Na segunda parte, destacam-se principalmente os temas presentes abordados em relação à forma. Na terceira, há uma predominância da análise formal e observa-se a presença de elementos épicos que, algumas vezes desvirtuados, desestruturam a forma puramente dramática. Constatação essa que, segundo levantamento bibliográfico realizado, ainda não havia sido defendida por críticos que se debruçaram sobre a obra desse dramaturgo. E, na quarta parte, nas considerações finais, procura-se entender a forma e a sua respectiva correspondência com o contexto sócio-histórico segundo as considerações analíticas levantadas nos capítulos anteriores. / In this dissertation, our goal is to analyze the theatrical elements that constitute the controversial play Shopping and Fucking (1996), by the British playwright Mark Ravenhill, relating its characteristics of form and content and their resulting intersections. The focus lies not only on the important theoretical works of literature, theatre and culture critique by Peter Szondi, Anatol Rosenfeld, Roberto Schwarz and Fredric Jameson, but also on those of authors more closely tied to economics and world system critics such as Ernst Mandel and Robert Kurz. The analysis concludes that Ravenhill simultaneously relates aspects of subjectivity and the contemporary society both in a state of permanent crisis. The first part of the dissertation introduces the play, the In-yer-face theatre and the Thatcher period. The second part emphasizes the themes presented addressed in relation to the form. The third part stresses the predominance of formal analysis, in which epic elements, somewhat garbled, deconstruct the dramatical form. Nevertheless, according to bibliographical research, such an analysis has not been developed, to the present day, by critics familiar with Ravenhill\'s theatrical works. In the concluding chapter an understanding is sought towards the plays form and its correspondences with the socio-historical context following our previous analysis.

This thesis presents a close analysis of one of the ageless discourses of human life &ndash / apocalypse, or the End &ndash / within the highly controversial In-Yer-Face drama of the 1990s British stage. The study particularly argues that there is a strong apocalyptic sense in the plays of the decade, and it discovers that the apocalyptic representation within these plays varies. Five plays by three prominent playwrights of the decade are used to illustrate and expand the focus. After a detailed examination of the apocalyptic discourse, it is claimed that Mark Ravenhill&rsquo / s Shopping and F***ing and Faust is Dead are based on certain philosophical ideas of the End, Anthony Neilson&rsquo / s Normal and Penetrator reveal the apocalyptic through an extreme use of violence, and Sarah Kane&rsquo / s 4.48 Psychosis comingles representations of the apocalyptic and psychological trauma.

Nesta dissertação, busca-se analisar os elementos dramatúrgicos constituintes da polêmica peça Shopping and Fucking (1996), do dramaturgo britânico Mark Ravenhill, relacionando suas características de forma e conteúdo e seus decorrentes imbricamentos. O ponto de partida dessa empreitada encontra-se não somente em obras teóricas importantes da crítica de literatura, teatro e cultura de autoria de Peter Szondi, Anatol Rosenfeld, Roberto Schwarz e Fredric Jameson, mas também nas de autores mais estreitamente vinculados às ciências econômicas e à crítica do sistema mundial como Ernst Mandel e Robert Kurz. Podemos, por meio dessa análise, concluir que Ravenhill é capaz de retratar por meio da configuração da peça aspectos simultaneamente relacionados tanto à subjetividade quanto à sociedade contemporâneas ambas em estado de crise permanente. Na primeira parte da dissertação, procura-se introduzir historicamente a peça, o teatro In-yer-face e o período Thatcher. Na segunda parte, destacam-se principalmente os temas presentes abordados em relação à forma. Na terceira, há uma predominância da análise formal e observa-se a presença de elementos épicos que, algumas vezes desvirtuados, desestruturam a forma puramente dramática. Constatação essa que, segundo levantamento bibliográfico realizado, ainda não havia sido defendida por críticos que se debruçaram sobre a obra desse dramaturgo. E, na quarta parte, nas considerações finais, procura-se entender a forma e a sua respectiva correspondência com o contexto sócio-histórico segundo as considerações analíticas levantadas nos capítulos anteriores. / In this dissertation, our goal is to analyze the theatrical elements that constitute the controversial play Shopping and Fucking (1996), by the British playwright Mark Ravenhill, relating its characteristics of form and content and their resulting intersections. The focus lies not only on the important theoretical works of literature, theatre and culture critique by Peter Szondi, Anatol Rosenfeld, Roberto Schwarz and Fredric Jameson, but also on those of authors more closely tied to economics and world system critics such as Ernst Mandel and Robert Kurz. The analysis concludes that Ravenhill simultaneously relates aspects of subjectivity and the contemporary society both in a state of permanent crisis. The first part of the dissertation introduces the play, the In-yer-face theatre and the Thatcher period. The second part emphasizes the themes presented addressed in relation to the form. The third part stresses the predominance of formal analysis, in which epic elements, somewhat garbled, deconstruct the dramatical form. Nevertheless, according to bibliographical research, such an analysis has not been developed, to the present day, by critics familiar with Ravenhill\'s theatrical works. In the concluding chapter an understanding is sought towards the plays form and its correspondences with the socio-historical context following our previous analysis.

Face à l’opacité interprétative et la faillite du langage auxquelles nous nous heurtons dans l’analyse des œuvres-chocs de Sarah Kane, quelle approche nous permettrait de commenter exhaustivement les formes et les moyens mis en œuvre par la dramaturge pour imprimer sa marque dans l’esprit du spectateur contemporain? Le théâtre postdramatique, paradigme élaboré par Hans-Thies Lehmann, présenterait a priori un dispositif pertinent pour faire lumière sur des problématiques contemporaines cruciales en jeu dans l’œuvre de Kane. Aucunement univoque, car soumis à l’interprétation et à l’engagement du spectateur, le caractère politique des pièces, pourtant spectral, s’avère ici essentiel. Ce spectre politique se laisse percevoir à travers le prisme de la violence et la nécessité du choc semble être son parti pris pour redéfinir le rôle du théâtre dans nos sociétés modernes caractérisées par la circulation massive des images à travers les nouveaux médias. Un lien de coresponsabilité de l’artiste et du spectateur se crée: l’œuvre nous interroge, spectateur/lecteur, sur la part mystérieuse de ce fond de cruauté humaine et sur notre complicité dans l’omniprésence de la violence à travers la consommation de ses produits. Mettant en relief les caractères transgressifs venant bousculer nos affects à travers des références à la « culture d’en bas » et un exercice des limites du spectaculaire centré sur l’obscène et le détournement des codes de la pornographie, cette lecture postdramatique de Cleansed et de Phaedra’s love entend restituer à l’œuvre de Kane son énergie pour un changement qui passe par un éveil des sens. / Faced with the interpretive opacity and failure of language in the analysis of Sarah Kane’s violent plays, what approach could allow us to review the forms and means used by the playwright in order to leave her mark in the mind of the contemporary viewer? The paradigm of the post-dramatic theater, proposed by Hans-Thies Lehmann, constitutes an appropriate device for highlighting the contemporary issues at stake in the work of Kane. Since it strongly depends on the interpretation and the engagement of the viewer, the meaning of the plays are not univocal. Their spectral political nature proves essential here. This political spectrum reveals itself through the prism of violence. The necessity of shock appears to be its bias to redefine the role of theater in modern societies characterized by the flow of images through mass media. A link of co-responsibility between artist and viewer is created. Indeed as viewers/readers, Kane’s plays lead us to question ourselves on the mysterious and intimate depths of human cruelty and our complicity with the omnipresence of violence through consumption of its products. By focusing on the transgressive characteristics of Kane’s dramatic art that shake viewers out of their affective complacency through the references to "culture from below" and through the use of an obscene language and imagery, and through the diversion of pornography’s codes, this postdramatic reading of Cleansed and Phaedra's love intends to restore the energy inherent in Kane’s work. It is an energy that aims for radical change by awakening our senses.